What Do We Do During Vijayadashami? And in Which States of India is Dussehra Most Popular?

Navratri and Dussehra (Vijayadashami) are important festivals of the Hindu religion, which are celebrated on the Dashami date of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month. On this day, Lord Rama killed Ravana and Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura after a war of nine nights and ten days. Therefore this festival is also known as 'Vijayadashami'.

On this day, people do Shastra Puja and start new work. On this day, fairs are organized at various places, in which Ramlila is performed and Ravana Dahan is performed.

Dussehra Date in 2023, Starting at 5.44 pm on 23rd October and will continue till 3.14 pm on 24th October. According to Udaya Tithi, Dussehra will be celebrated on 24th October.

Dussehra Importance and Way of Celebration

In India, the festival of Vijayadashami is celebrated with great joy and pomp. On this day people organize various types of processions, some important tasks which are performed on the day of Vijayadashami are - 

• Ramlila: On the day of Dussehra, Ramlila is organized in different parts of India, in which the story of Lord Ram is presented in theatrical form, people enjoy it and take inspiration from the story.

• Dussehra Fair: Dussehra fair is an important part of Indian culture which is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the people. On the occasion of the fair, people enjoy shopping and delicious food.

• Ravana Dahan: On the day of Vijayadashami, Ravana Dahan has special significance, on this day people burn the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath and learn the victory of good over evil.

• Social Interaction: On the day of Vijayadashami, people interact with their friends, family and relatives and increase happiness.

• Charity: Charity has special importance on the day of Vijayadashami, on this day people donate to the poor and needy and earn virtue.

• Weapon Worship: On this day, people start new work, worship weapons and tools. In ancient times, kings used to pray for victory and set out for war on this day.

• Maa Durga Idol Immersion: On the day of Vijayadashami, people immerse the Durga Maa Idol after worshiping it for nine days, and seek blessings from the Mother.

Some States of India Where Dussehra is Very Popular

India is a cultural country where every festival and celebration is celebrated with great pomp like Holi, Diwali, Rakshabandhan, Makar Sankranti etc.

Dussehra is also one of them, although the festival of Vijayadashami is celebrated with great pomp all over India, but there are some states where Dussehra is celebrated with special pomp, some of these major states are as follows:

1. Kullu, Himachal Pradesh: Dussehra here is very famous across the country for its grandeur and interesting way of celebrating the festival, Dussehra decorations are done with flowers and lights in Dhalpur grounds of Kullu valley, people carry Ram Darbar Murti on their heads to Dhalpur grounds. where they worship Lord Raghunath, here Vijayadashami festival lasts for seven days.

2. Mysore, Karnataka: Which is celebrated with enthusiasm and pomp as Vijayadashami on the last day after nine days of Navratri. It is also known as Jambu Savari. Dussehra is the day when Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura and Lord Rama defeated Ravana. During this, the famous Mysore Palace is decorated with countless lights and special darbars are held for the city's royals, a procession of elephants moves around the city to reveal the city's cultural heritage and pride.

3. Bastar, Chhattisgarh: Here, instead of considering Dussehra as a form of victory of Rama over Ravana, people consider it as a festival dedicated to the worship of Mother Danteshwari. Danteshwari Mata is the main goddess of the residents of Bastar region, who is also a form of Durga. Here Dussehra is celebrated from the new moon of Shravan month to Shukla Trayodashi of Ashwin month. During these days, many events take place such as Paat Jatra, Kachan Gaadi, and Nisha Jatra etc.

4. Kolkata, West Bengal: Here Dussehra is celebrated as Durga Puja, where Goddess Durga is worshiped in lavishly decorated pandals. Famous artists of the country are called and the Durga Maa Statue is prepared. Along with this, many idols of other goddesses are also made, here Vijayadashami is marked as the last day of Durga Puja when the Durga Maa Murti is immersed.

5. Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu: A temple named Mutharamman is situated in this village in which the goddess is decorated with jewels, on this day devotees come to see the remarkable attraction of this temple. The Dussehra festival here lasts for 10 days, a distinctive aspect of this festival is the dance, in which people dance in unique costumes to the lively tunes of Thar Thappattam.

Conclusion

In this article about Dussehra, we learn that Vijayadashami is an important festival. This festival includes worship of Goddess Durga, Ramlila, Ravana Dahan, and other activities. In these celebrations of Vijayadashami, people celebrate with their family and society members and take steps towards goodness.

Through this article, we saw that Dussehra is celebrated in different ways in different states of India, and it adds to the diversity and culture of the country. We learn many lessons from this festival about how good triumphs over evil and how we can build a society that is strong, determined, and just.